Hall jobless rate up

ATLANTA - The unemployment rate in the metro Gainesville area is up slightly from a month ago.

The rate is up two-tenths of a percent to four-point-two.

Meanwhile, in the 13-county Georgia Mountains region, which includes Gainesville, the jobless rate increased the same amount and is now at four-point-one percent.

Meanwhile, the unemployment rate in Georgia rose to 5.0 percent, three-tenths percent higher than a revised 4.7 percent in December. During the same period, Georgia lost 78,700 payroll jobs. The December to January changes were due
largely to seasonal layoffs in trade and services, according to state Labor Commissioner Michael Thurmond.

County-by-county rates for Georgia Mountains region:

Banks 3.7% down .2%
Barrow 4.3% down .1%
Dawson 3.9% up .3%
Forsyth 3.3% up .2%
Habersham 3.7% unchanged
Hall 4.2% up .2%
Jackson 4.4% up .2%
Lumpkin 4.2% down .4%
Rabun 4.5% up .8%
Stephens 6.2% up .4%
Towns 3.6% up .1%
Union 4.0% up .2%
White 4.3% down .1%